Attention

The browser or device you are using is out of date. It has known security flaws and a limited feature set. You will not see all the features of some websites. Please update your browser. A list of the most popular browsers can be found below.

Settlement reached over what federal authorities said was a pattern of excessive use of force by cops, NY Times reports

May 25, 20155:35PM ET

Cleveland has reached a settlement with the U.S. Justice Department over what federal authorities said was a pattern of unconstitutional policing and excessive use of force, the New York Times reported on Monday.

The settlement could be announced as early as Tuesday, the newspaper said, citing people briefed on the matter.

The details of the settlement were not immediately clear, the Times said. In similar negotiations in recent years, the Justice Department has insisted that cities allow independent monitors to oversee changes inside police departments.

Settlements are typically backed by court orders and often call for improved training and revised use-of-force policies.

Spokesmen for the Justice Department, the Cleveland police and Mayor Frank Jackson had no immediate response to requests for comment.

The results of a Justice Department investigation released in December found Cleveland police systematically engaged in excessive use of force.

In March attorneys representing Rice's family expressed outrage after Cleveland officials said Rice's death at the hands of an officer was caused by the 12-year-old’s “failure … to exercise due care to avoid injury" — words that later prompted an apology from the city's mayor. The shooting is under investigation.

The Justice Department has opened nearly two dozen investigations into police departments during the administration of President Barack Obama.

Federal authorities said this month they would investigate police in Baltimore following the death of Freddie Gray, a black man who died of injuries he suffered while in police custody. Six officers have been indicted in Gray's death.